The Twelve Principles of Attitudinal Healing:
– The essence of our being is love.
– Health is inner peace. Healing is letting go of fear.
– Giving and receiving are the same.
– We can let go of the past and of the future.
– Now is the only time there is and each instant is for giving.
– We can learn to love ourselves and others by forgiving rather than judging.
– We can become love finders rather than fault finders.
– We can choose and direct ourselves to be peaceful inside regardless of what is happening outside.
– We are students and teachers to each other.
– We can focus on the whole of life rather than the fragments.
– Since love is eternal, death need not be viewed as fearful.
– We can always perceive ourselves and others as either extending love or giving a call for help.
– Dr. Jerry Jampolsky
In 1975, while making rounds on a pediatric oncology ward, Dr. Jerry Jampolsky overheard an 8 year-old boy ask his doctor “What is it like to die?” The doctor ignored the question and changed the subject.
Jerry wrote: “I think the physician was fearful of addressing the question. When I investigated this further, I discovered changing the subject was not an uncommon response to these questions. I discovered children usually look for someone they can trust who will give them honest replies to these questions. On this particular ward, this turned out to be the cleaning woman. The kids seemed to know they would get honest, direct answers from her. I began to wonder generally where kids could go to talk about such serious things as death and found that there was no safe place where they could talk.”
Dr. Jampolsky helped to found the Center for Attitudinal Healing to create that safe place for children with cancer to talk about illness and dying. Today, the Center (one of 150 worldwide) offers support to people of all ages – at no cost.
Jerry wrote, Love is Letting Go of Fear and Teach Only Love, books that came into my life at a time when I couldn’t let go of the past, but was determined to see my world differently. If you want love over fear, if you want to be happy instead of right, if you want peace instead of drama, check out Dr. Jampolsky’s work.
